Gear Review: Altamont Company 1911 Grips

I have a huge crush on my 1911. The only problem: it’s not mine. “My” gun actually belongs to my father but it’s kind of been in my possession for the last two years. And now thanks to TTAG, I’m amassing a bit of a firearms collection of my own. As a result, my father’s wondering just what happened to his gun. So I faced the inevitable and decided to return it after it got some R&R in an ultrasonic bath and a proper once-over from my favorite gunsmith. I don’t know about you, but my parents always taught me to return something in better shape than I got it . . .

And while tritium sights and Wilson Combat doodads seemed like the right direction, I realized that like all classics, some things just look better in stock form. I wanted to change something, but I didn’t want it to fundamentally alter the feel of the gun. I had a real problem on my hands until Nick hooked me up with Chester at Altamont Company. Chester and Nick met up on the internet somewhere and Chester offered Nick a couple of grip sets for a 1911. But Chester sent Nick full-size grips and Nick has an Officer-size Wilson. Bummer.

So I got my pick of new grips to throw on the my father’s old gun to spruce it up. Normally, I’d go on and on with a litany of nits that need picking, but in this case the product is too simple, and Altamont has done an excellent job of crafting these things. Everything appears to be made of high quality materials with excellent attention to detail.

Fitment was absolutely perfect and installation was a breeze. The best part? They aren’t that expensive. I expected semi “custom” grips to be in the neighborhood of $80 to $100. The most expensive set you’ll see here is $50. Gaze at these pictures and then put in an order for the grips you want. You will not be disappointed.

The best part of returning my father’s gun was his reaction when I opened the case and he saw those beautiful Rosewood grips. He audibly gasped and started tracing his fingers over the checkering. He told me it looked perfect and thanked me for taking such good care of his baby. And then he asked about a small ding in the bluing. Looks like I might have more work to do….

Altamont Co. grips are a great value – and they have plenty of options. I have a walnut set with a sort of ‘fish-scale’ pattern that matches the one-way cocking serrations on my Kimber Stainless Raptor and provides a great, positive-feel grip with no slip. These are quality grips ready for combat as well as show and like Mr.s Kee and Leghorn I recommend them highly – though I have no experience with the leather or exotic-materials grips as they are apparently new products.

[…] my knowledge, it’s the only heirloom gun we have. I spent a little bit of time with the gun a couple years back, and it has been a point of pain in my dad’s life that I can generally shoot circles […]